UPDATE
Part 7 in this series is with my DIRB! pahtnah Squincy…and, yes, he got his hair did for this Kracker Nuttz interview!
I’m super honored to be part of this with the Kracker Nuttz…see you all there in November! Thanks for the interview, guys!
The Kracker Nuttz 12 Yr Anniversary coming NOVEMBER 2010… DJ’s get ready to experience something new!!! DJ Gracie Chavez interviewed by Reko Trill and shot by Druski.
Beat the heat and line with a Fancy Pants pass. This VIP pass allows you additional access to the air-conditioned Fancy Pants stages/tents complete with quick entry at the festival gate, seating, shorter food and beverage lines, plus exclusive DIRB! performances.
Here’s the lineup for our Fancy Pants (In the Bowl) stage:
But remember, when you get your wristband at the festival entrance on Saturday, DO NOT REMOVE IT! If you do and try to re-attached it, you won’t be allowed back in on Sunday! Wristbands are void if torn, broken, stretched, taped together or not worn snugly on the wrist. So, now you know!
UPDATED: Join us DIRB! DJs at the Fancy Pants Stage at the Free Press Summer Fest on Saturday and Sunday for some cool jams–literally!
The VIP stage in the Bowl near Buffalo Bayou sponsored by Fahrenheit-Media and our Dusty Crates blog of course, is air conditioned! YES, I said AC!! Which will make it a nice break from the heat/humidity and the hotter acts at the Fest.
In light of current events in the Middle East and even here at home in Arizona, MIA‘s new video, “Born Free,” speaks volumes.
The 9-minute short film was directed by Romain Gavras, who also directed Justice‘s thuggish “Stress,” so it’s no surprise she chose him to help convey her socio-political message by focusing on the persecution of society’s “red-headed stepchildren”.
Watch the video that’s been yanked from Youtube here and let me know what you think. But a word of warning: it’s brutal, raw and provocative.
If that’s too much, here’s MIA’s airy “There’s Space for Ol Dat I See” (also from her upcoming, yet-to-be-titled, but soon-to-be-landmark 3rd album) to temper an aggressive “Born Free”.
Tech-house DJ/producer Henry Chow is rollin off his final Rekliner at Dean’s Downtown, which featured Austin’s JAMON. He wrapped up the monthly, an amalgam of house and techno featuring international and regional DJs, he has maintained with cohort Sasha Braverman for a couple of years now. They are moving the night over to ClubFWD>> (510 Gray, 77002).
Formerly Deco in Midtown, FWD>> will usher a new era in Houston’s electronic music, says Henry. Currently, the local underground dance music community does not have a comfy home for regular, intimate house and techno events since La Strada closed. FWD>> looks to fill that gap with regular and special events starting in May. Sasha and Henry kick off their Saturday monthly Rekliner nights there on May 15th with San Antonio’s house playas, Sun City Hustlers (lovin’ the name).
Meanwhile, Sasha and Henry will maintain their more eclectic residency, Crossroads Fridays (Dean’s Montrose, 315 Fairview, 77006). This Friday, April 30th they host special guest DJ Jeff Shelton (Reverse, Houston).
And just to give you insight on what you may hear, Henry‘s dropped his new house, disco and other rarities mix on us here at Dusty Crates.
About his To The Moon (Late Night Mix) release, he says:
…[it's] something for the ride, to do laundry to, dishes, exercise, and make love to! This mix set features a few new, a few old tracks by artists such as Lee Curtiss, Dirty Jesus, I:Cube, Manuel Tur, & many more. Pretty much a summary of tunes we play at our residencies.
Mike Shannon – Under the Radar feat. Fadila (Massi DL Rmx)
Dirty Jesus – Don’t Fuck with My Shit (Plane Paper Edit)
I:Cube – Falling
Jozif – Just You
Guillaume & The Coutu Dumont – Raw
Sascha Dive – Suburban Night
Alvaro Ernesto – Inside My Soul (Pezzner Rmx)
Lee Curtiss – Sister
Hector – Suavecito (Nick Curly Rmx)
Jozif – Chicago
Lewie Day – That’s the Thing
Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go for That (Edit)
Manuel Tur – Beasts & the Birds
Lee Curtiss – The Glow
Tensnake – Coma Cat
After 12 years on the radio, the say goodbye via their Kracker Nuttz blog:
…we want to thank everyone of you who tuned in. For all the times we felt like giving up on “corporate/commercial” radio & quitting… YOU were the only reason why we stayed. We felt like we owed it to YOU… the voice, the fan, or the listener who was never properly represented…
But these are not the last words on their abrupt departure. Taking a parting shot in an Open Letter addressed to The Boxx, writer/blogger and pusher of all things truly hip hop, my dude MattSonzala put it best on his AustinSurreal blog:
KBXX – you are in the wrong here. You initiated this problem, and now refuse to work to fix it. Your ban on Trae, and the subsequent actions you have taken on fairly innocent parties, is reprehensible and cowardly. It’s also lazy. I realize that in the age of 140 character tweets and Facebook updates, genuine conversations often take a back seat. This situation merits a genuine conversation, and a solution.
Your half assed, one sided solution is not the answer…
Word.
Best of luck to Clean Kutt, Baby Jay and the Nuttz; I’m sure I’ll see you out rockin more clubs where now we’ll all get that first-hand “all up in yo mouth” experience.
Read the entire Open Letter to 97.9 The Boxx at AustinSurreal.com >>
Last year I stumbled across a delightfully heady compilation, For Corners, by San Antonio native Diego Bernal. The civil rights attorney was moonlighting as a producer, reinvigorating hip hop, breaks and soul with socially conscious samples and Tex-Mex music flavor. His over-time seems to have paid off–exponentially! For Corners was celebrated as one of the successes in hip hop for 2009 (All Music Guide). And it also helped that fellow Mexicans With Guns‘ high-spirited remix of “Bring It On Home” pushed the debut further out to the blog world.
This year he returns with Besides… (Exponential Records). On the album, Diego again refreshes hip hop and breaks for today much like Mayer Hawthorne has done for funk and soul. He adds some elements of cumbia and corridos to the organic, head-noddin’ soundscapes–even keeping the vinyl pops (remember those?) in the recording. From start to finish, Besides… transports you to another era, yet remains contemporaneous.
For those serious diggers (and those with dusty crates), this release is available as a limited edition blue 7″ 45 vinyl with “A Long Second” and “Blue Neon”. The vinyl includes a download card for all songs in any format including MP3.
The full album will be available April 27th digitally for free via Exponential Records.
DustyCrates.com is the blog for DIRB!, a DJ collective and movement originating from Houston, Texas. Started in 2006, DIRB! is made up of Matt Sizzle, Gracie Chavez, Antonio, El Jeffe, Squincy Jones and SDF-One who all share varying tastes in dance music: club, electro, drum & bass, dubstep, hip hop, house, world beats, etc.
